


No Chance At All

by sloanesaysno



Series: Wild Winds, Whipping Water, Fire Storms [3]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Ember Island (Avatar), F/M, Ficlet Collection, Fire Nation (Avatar), Not Actually Unrequited Love, Overworking, Requited Unrequited Love, Slice of Life, Thunderstorms
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-30
Updated: 2020-06-02
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:54:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24452422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sloanesaysno/pseuds/sloanesaysno
Summary: Anja and Zuko act like a couple too much-- but aren't the best of couples also like the best of friends?akafive times zuko and anja stand in the grey between couple and friends (and the one time they do not)
Relationships: The Gaang (Avatar) & Original Character(s), Zuko (Avatar)/Original Character(s), Zuko (Avatar)/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Wild Winds, Whipping Water, Fire Storms [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1817080
Comments: 9
Kudos: 82





	1. like an omen

**Author's Note:**

> I couldn't help it. I intended for these to be drabbles but I have little self-control so I wrote 500-600 words instead.

The thunderclaps are wild and lightning flashes in the sky like an omen. Anja's enjoying the light show from the safety of her chambers at the Fire Nation Palace. The air is cold, humid, and smells like rain and jasmine tea. She breathes deeply and wraps her blanket tighter around her.

She's sitting on the window seat, her cup of tea on the sill. The window is cracked open, letting in a weak gust of air and the occasional splatter of rain. Anja sits in silence, enjoying the wild calm of the storm.

She doesn't hear the quiet footsteps at her door, but she does hear the quick rap against the wood. She turns her head and says, "Yes?"

The door opens a little and Zuko sticks his head through. His face is pale but his cheeks are faintly red and there's a vague look of embarrassment in his eyes. Before he can say anything, Anja cuts in and says, "Zuko! Come in, won't you? I'll give you some tea." She gets up and goes to her desk, pouring a cup of tea.

He enters and shuts the door behind him. He's casually but warmly dressed in a dark red shirt that reaches down to his wrists, black, evidently thick trousers, and white socks. He heads over to her and sits on her bedroom bench, eyes cast down.

"Right, here you go. Some storm, huh?" Anja half-smiles as she hands him the mug and sits down next to him.

"You said it," he replies wryly. He starts when the room flashes brightly, but tilts his head to look at Anja when she quietly counts under her breath. A couple of seconds later, thunder echoes through the sky. She smiles when she hears. "I don't know what you find funny about storms, but I do know that you're probably alone in that," he complains under his breath.

"Ah, so you came to see me because you're scared of thunderstorms?" Anja asks, a hint of amusement in her voice.

"Are you enjoying this at my expense?" Zuko demands irritably, setting his untouched cup of tea down with a thump.

Anja stares at him. "I didn't even laugh," she deadpans. "Anyway, if you just wanted to talk to someone to wait out the storm, you should've said so in the first place."

Zuko's cheeks redden and he says, defensively, "Was it that hard to take a hint?"

"Right, right. Whatever you say, O Great and Always Correct Fire Lord. You've got your humble minister at your mercy," Anja sighs, getting up and bowing deeply.

"Anja!"

She gets her blanket from the window seat and sits on her bed, leaning back on her headboard. She gestures for Zuko to join her as she lifts his side of the blanket. Zuko takes their still steaming mugs of tea and walks over, carefully handing her cup to her. He sits next to her, breathing out a slow sigh of relief and covering himself with the blanket.

Anja leans her head against his shoulder, and Zuko takes a sip of his calming jasmine tea.


	2. sing me a lullaby

"You've been working too much," Anja says, standing over Zuko's desk as he tries his best not to fall asleep. It shows just how tired he is-- the sun is barely setting and his head and eyelids are already drooping. She pokes his forehead when he doesn't respond. "Hey. Zuko, your Fiery Eminence? your Fieriness? your Lordiness? Melon boy!"

Zuko looks up at her, a displeased look on his face. He probably doesn't know how terrible he looks with his eye bags and his messily tied hair and his wrinkled robe.

"What do you want? I'm busy," he murmurs tiredly, but he doesn't look away. Instead, he holds her indignant stare.

"Zuko, I don't think you know this, but ever since the signing of the treaty, you haven't properly slept," Anja sighs, not quite catching the flash of guilt in his eyes. "I know it's your job to make sure everything runs smoothly, but as one of your advisors, it's also my job to make sure you don't die from stress or a lack of sleep."

She scoffs at that a little. "Can you imagine how pathetic that'd be? Fire Lord Zuko, one of the legendary Fire Lords who ended the Hundred Years War, dying from sleep deprivation?"

She looks at the messy desk he's working on and the black smears of ink on his right hand and his ink dipped fingers on his left. "Would you please just sleep at least ten hours? I'll clean up your desk just how you like it, I'll deal with everything that I can deal with, I'll even treat you to some fire flakes tomorrow, all right?" she wheedles, trying to coax him into sleeping.

"You better sing me a lullaby," he mutters sardonically. Anja laughs in relief as he stands from his seat. Papers flutter from the desk onto the floor, but she only makes a mental note to clean that later and ignores it for now. "I'm not going to bathe. I'm too tired."

"Whatever. Just clean your hands, wash your face, change your clothes, and then sleep. I'll figure out how to organize this mess of a desk while you get ready."

"Yes, mother," Zuko says under his breath.

Anja's eyes widen as she hears that. "You're so annoying! Just go to sleep already!" she complains, sounding embarrassed. That was totally not mothering! She wasn't pulling a Katara... or was she?

As soon as Zuko leaves, she lets out an irritated groan. She wasn't acting motherly! Oh, for Agni's sake, she was just worried about her darn friend who hasn't properly slept for about a week. Besides, if she didn't interfere, who would? Sometimes, like now, she wonders why it has to be Zuko she'd be torn about liking platonically... and more than that. Only Katara can mother someone she likes romantically and succeed.

\--

She enters the dark room, her eyes quickly adjusting to the dark. She sees the Zuko-shaped lump on the bed and makes a beeline straight for him. Anja carefully sits on the edge of his bed, looking at his sleeping body. He's asleep already?

She quietly asks, "Can I sleep here?" She isn't expecting a response.

"Okay," comes the quiet voice in the dark.


	3. i remembered

The sun is beating down on them as they trudge to the former Royal Family's vacation home. Technically, it's Zuko's home now, but he hasn't been bothered enough to change it. Zuko offered to have the Palace servants have their things brought to Ember Island before them, but most (save for Toph, Sokka, and him) declined. It's not a very long walk, but the cool, salty breeze is almost too tempting to resist.

"I have half a mind to pass out as soon as I don't get burned under the sun," Anja sighs under her thick, strangely long, dark blue poncho.

"You know, there was this one time I Waterbent my own sweat to escape Zuko's Combustion man," Katara says, glancing at Anja with a smile. And she does do a little demonstration, pressing her finger against the side of her face and making her sweat do little flowy somersaults. "See?"

Anja raises a brow. "Definitely, uh... impressive. Kinda gross, but that's pretty ingenious."

"It's not that warm," Zuko says, glancing over his shoulder from the front.

"Speak for yourself, hot shot," Sokka grins. "Get it? Hot shot? Because you know, hot--"

"I'm going to strangle you!"

They finally reach the house and Anja slumps against a wall for support. "I hate how anytime I get in the heat, I feel like dying. Is it because I'm part-Water Tribe? Probably not, Katara and Sokka don't look like they're about to shrivel up and die. Maybe I just got used to constant temperate weather? That's the best idea I have right now."

Toph punches her shoulder as she passes by. "You'll live, Picky Princess."

"I can cool you down!" Aang beams. He inhales deeply and exhales a gust of air. "How's that?"

"Thank you, Aang, you're my savior," Anja laughs. She pushes away from the wall and looks for her room. It's right across Zuko's room and next to Sokka's room, but easily recognizable from the gust of air from inside.

Anja tosses her bags onto the bed and takes off her poncho. There's a cool rush air drying her sweat-slicked back and she's so glad her foresight to just not wear a shirt over her maillot. 

She sighs and closes her eyes, listening to the sound of distant waves crashing onto the shore and her friends getting ready for a swim. Should she swim now or later in the evening?

Anja geta up from the hammock and goes to the courtyard, looking for the others. Now, where have they gone?

She runs into Zuko, who seems to have been to the shore already, judging by his sandy feet.

"Anja--" he stops, his eyes quickly flickering up and down her body. His cheeks redden and he makes brief eye contact with her before hurriedly looking away. "T-The others are down at the beach and, um, forgot about you, then I remembered so I.. uh, came back to find you."

Anja doesn't exactly mind his ogling and doesn't comment on it. "Oh, really? I should head down there. Shall we?" She grins, holding out her arm. Zuko takes it.


	4. whatever you say

Anja wakes up in the middle of the night, hungry. It's a little annoying how she's been getting hungry specifically during midnight, but she allows herself to indulge in whatever she likes because it's a rare opportunity to eat in silence. Right now, she's in the mood for fire flakes and she's quite certain that the kitchen has those.

She gets up, pulling off her covers and slipping on her robe as she exits her room. She treads silently, the halls dark and quiet save for distant footsteps (the guards on night shift?) and her muffled breathing. She sneaks past a guard, her footsteps light. Anja hurries because her stomach grumbles loudly, louder than she thought possible.

The kitchen seems to be dim and silent, but as she rounds the corner, she sees someone rummaging the cupboards and drawers, a candle illuminating the area. Anja freezes, not recognizing the person. It is a little hard to see because the kitchen doesn't have many windows and the candle only lights so little.

"Hello?" she asks, hesitantly.

The stranger whirls around and she steps back in shock. But she breathes out a sigh of relief when the candlelight makes the stranger's gold eyes gleam and casts shadows on his familiar face. Why, it's only Zuko! She laughs and heads towards him, pulling out a stool to sit next to his own chair.

"A-Anja?" Zuko asks, startled. The warm glow of the candle shows the redness of his cheeks.

"Hi. It's pretty late, isn't it?" she asks noncommittally. She tilts her head to look at what Zuko's pulled out-- a bag of fire flakes.

"Yeah," Zuko says, looking at her with a curiously but not saying anything else.

"Can you get me one of those, too? Or are you kind enough to share?" Anja smiles with amusement as he gets another bag. He hands it to her and sits, slouching over the counter. "Might I ask why you're still up?"

"I couldn't sleep," he says quietly.

"I just got hungry," she grins, loudly chewing fire flakes. She sticks her tongue out when it gets a little too spicy and she gets up from her seat to look for a glass of water. Zuko lightheartedly scoffs and says, "I forgot that as much as you like fire flakes, you can't completely stand the spice."

"Right, right, whatever you say, Melon Boy. At least I don't get brain freeze whenever I eat ice cream." Anja counters. She finds a glass of water and chills it with a touch of her hand, frost creeping on the glass. She sips at it and returns to her seat, her shoulder brushing Zuko's arm. He radiates heat, a little too much heat that's characteristic for Fire Benders. She presses closer to him, glancing up to smirk when he, very passively, allows it.

She reaches for the fire flakes again, loudly chewing them.

"Can't you chew with your mouth closed?" Zuko suddenly complains, but he stops when he catches a glimpse of Anja looking at him askance, her mouth closed. He makes a face and ignores her, but he doesn't pull away. Something flies into his face and he sits up with a start. "What was that?" he demands, looking quite affronted.

Anja smirks and flicks another fire flake at his face.


	5. someone in mind

"What's that?" Zuko asks as he sits at his usual seat-- the head of the table. Anja sits on his left side, clearly not paying attention to the platter of untouched food before her. She's reading a letter, an evidently fancy one, and though she's only paying half as much attention to him to how she usually does, he only waits for her to respond.

"It's... a letter," she says slowly, distracted. Anja takes a deep breath and folds it and then puts it back in the envelope. There's a ruminative look on her face as she takes a sip of her morning tea. "A letter of courtship from a noble."

"Who?" Zuko demands suddenly, his voice sharp.

Anja gives him a weird look. "Relax. I actually know him, he's a good friend of mine. We were pen pals and certified best friends, but it seems that... well, he wants to court me." She takes a bite out of her food, ignoring the sudden tension. "I might accept. He's not a Bender, but he's kind, a man of integrity, smooth as hell, and pretty good looking. "

She glances at Zuko, who's clearly fuming. She raises a brow at him and asks, "What's wrong with you? Are you jealous because I'm getting courtship proposals?"

"No," he mutters, stabbing at his food. He sees Anja shrug out of the corner of his eye, and with a deep breath, he decides to take a different approach. "What's his name?"

"Lee."

Zuko snorts in derision and decides to forget taking a 'different approach. It's a lot easier to mock this stranger. "You're gonna marry someone named Lee? That's mediocre."

"Hey! I never said I was going to marry him! And mind you, Lee isn't mediocre!" Anja protests, setting her utensils down. "Besides, when you were in Ba Sing Se, your alias was Lee!"

"That was exactly the point. I'm pretty sure this 'Lee' you're talking about isn't even that great. What achievements has he accomplished? Did he... I don't know, help end the Hundred Year War? Or... maybe fight an Agni Kai and come out as Fire Lord?" Zuko asks smugly.

"No, that was your destiny and this is your birth right, Zuko. You've got something he wouldn't even be able to dream of having, though," Anja explains, her voice straining to be patient, but taut, as if she was about to snap. She gives Zuko a sardonic smile, who looks both expectant and confused.

"The Not-As-Much-of-a-Jerk-as-You-Could-Have-Been Award," she snaps, slamming her hand on the table and leaving without a single backwards glance.

He stares after her in shock for a couple of seconds, then groans, dropping his head into his hands as he mutters, "Stupid! Why would I be jealous? Ugh! I'm so stupid!" He ignores that nagging thought in his head that he was jealous for a reason.

\--

Zuko cautiously approaches her. He knows that even though Anja can barely hold a grudge, her temper can bite like the cold. 

"Anja?"

She whirls around, staggering back when she sees how close he is. Her eyes narrow. "Yeah?" she asks warily. "What is it?"

"I just-- I just wanted to apologize for how I acted earlier. I acted like I was jealous-- a-and I was, but that's not the point! Anyway, I'm sorry for acting like a jerk," he says, looking sincere and-- much to Anja's amusement, very embarrassed. 

Anja smiles fondly and says, "Thank you." She pulls him into a hug. Zuko's arms hesitantly wrap around her, but he does embrace her anyway.

"I won't accept the proposal, I think. I already have someone in mind."


	6. you never were

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Got a bit... carried away.

When Anja looks at Zuko, she sees one of her best friends. Someone she can trust with her life-- someone who'd take lightning and fire for her, someone who she can tease and joke with, someone who wouldn't spurn her for her woes.

But there's a part of her that vehemently tells her, _NO CHANCE, SILLY GIRL, NO CHANCE AT ALL_. And... that part of her is right. The day she received the courtship proposal from Lee, Zuko reacted badly-- whether for her or himself, she's not sure-- and she couldn't help but wonder why. She told Zuko that she wouldn't accept, but...

She told Lee that he should come to Caldera City so they could meet. Guilt washed over like a wave, but she realized that he is in fact a good match. _NO CHANCE_ , she told herself. Lee is a chance she could take.

She told him to visit Caldera City and not say a word about her. Lee, of course, didn't ask why-- something admirable and exploitable, she thinks-- but he did seem eager to see her. It wouldn't be bad to try.

\-- 

A couple of days after Zuko apologises about acting jealous, a nobleman comes to the Palace to pay his respects to the Fire Lord. Nobleman Lee of a city near Crescent Bay-- and Zuko's chest fills with dread and envy and anger. He doesn't dismiss nor insult the guest. Instead, Zuko makes a reckless decision and comes to terms with something he's been denying himself. 

For all the advice and guidance of his ministers and advisers-- one who is even a glorified matchmaker-- he realizes that they will always care about themselves first. Pomp and glamour, he thinks. Harmless opportunism in the Fire Lord's court.

But Zuko needs to take a chance too, doesn't he? His court whispers about the Waterbender among them and when Zuko does hear those whispers, there's a part of him that vehemently tells him, _NO CHANCE, SILLY BOY, NO CHANCE AT ALL._ And that part of him... is wrong.

Damn the risks, right? As a ruler in this new world of settled ash and society not quite set in stone, risks are the only things left for Zuko to take.

\--

"You've been distant. Why were you avoiding me?" Anja asks, her tone calm, patient, and as smooth as glass. She waits for Zuko to reply.

"I was thinking," he mutters. He doesn't meet her gaze, but he can feel her eyes on him. 

Anja is standing in front of his desk, staring him down. "You don't usually ignore me when you're thinking," she responds, her voice even.

"I must've been deep in my thoughts." He's already running out of excuses? Well, he didn't have time to think about excuses because by the time he'd be finished coming up with one, it already would've been far too late.

"Hell, Zuko," she pauses, frustration tightly laced in her voice. Her hand, relaxed earlier, is now fiercely clutching her ruby red robe. "You always come to me when you think."

"I was thinking of you," Zuko says, the words sharp and plain as day. He does meet her eyes this time, and the strange look on her face-- did it mean he was too late? "I had to think of what to say."

"W-What?" Anja stammers out, taking a step back.

Zuko stands from his seat, ready to speak as he'd practiced, but he stumbles over the first word. His musings are certainly a lot clearer and less antsy.

“I-- I'm not experienced in making heartfelt and touchy confessions because-- uh, I haven't really made that many," he starts off, wincing when he hears the words come out of his mouth. "But… you’re really important. To me.”

Anja's silence is slowly driving him mad. 

He refrains from impatiently snapping at her, but she does reply. "I know I am. You're important to me, too. What exactly is going on?" she asks, a puzzled but annoyed look on her face. 

Zuko groans. "I love you, okay?!" He spits out, running a hand over his face. "I'm _in_ love with _you_ ," he says, his cheeks hot and his heart pounding furiously. 

"I'm too late, aren't I?" He notes the shocked look on her face.

Anja's lips curl up into a wide beam, her eyes crinlinking, all bright and glossy. "Oh, Zuko!" she laughs, her voice tight in her throat. She goes around his table and embraces him tightly. "You're not too late. You never were," she says into his shoulder, the words muffled and wobbly.

Zuko swallows back his surprise and his heart feels like it's about to burst. He hugs her back, but she pulls away to look at him. 

Anja's eyes, a steady, brilliant shade of pale gold, are glassed over.

"Are you-- are you going to cry?" he asks, cautiously resting his hand on her cheek. 

"It would be embarrassing if I did," she half-laughs, her eyes still glassy but dancing with delight. 

"Can I--" he starts hesitantly, eyes flickering down to her lips. Anja doesn't wait for him to finish.

"You can," she affirms, her voice quiet.

Zuko kisses her, a little apprehensively at first, but she kisses him back eagerly. Anja's hand rests on his neck, her nails gently scraping against his skin. He can't help but smile against her lips as they pull away to look at each other.

"I had always wondered what that would be like," she murmurs. "And earlier, I should've said 'I love you, too'."


End file.
